National Parks of Taiwan

National Parks of Taiwan

"National parks are natural areas or historic sites representing the beauty and history of a country. Since Taiwan’s first national park, Kenting national park, was established in 1982, more and more national parks have been established across Taiwan, including Kenting, Yushan, Yangmingshan, Taroko, Shei-pa, Kinmen, Donsha Atoll and Taijiang National Parks."

from:http://np.cpami.gov.tw/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=146

Kenting National Park

Kenting, Taiwan’s first national park, known as its rich landscape of hills and water, abundant life, and natural resources for everyone’s enjoyment.

"Kenting National Park is located at the south of Taiwan, with warm climate, and spectacular ocean scenery. It is one of the most popular resorts, attracting millions of both domestic and foreign tourists every year."

from:http://www.ktnp.gov.tw/eng/Purpose.aspx

Yushan National Park

"Yushan, the largest national park on the island of Taiwan. Located in the central part of the island. It has the highest peak of Taiwan, unique geography and entrancing landscape."

from:http://www.ysnp.gov.tw/en/aboutus/index.aspx

Yangmingshan National Park

"Established on September 16th, 1985," it is known for the volcanic natural beauty.


from:http://www.ysnp.gov.tw/en/aboutus/index.aspx

Taroko National Park

"Established on November 28th, 1986, Taroko National Park is situated in eastern Taiwan. It boasts spectacular landscape of mountains, towering marble cliffs and rapids roaring in the river valleys below."

from:http://www.ysnp.gov.tw/en/aboutus/index.aspx

Shei-pa National Park

"Established in 1992, this is the fifth national park of Taiwan. Within the park, there are fifty peaks over 3,000 meters high. It is rich in animal life such as Formosan Black Bear, Formosan Macaque, Formosan Land-locked Salmon, Mikado Pheasant ,and Swinhoe's Blue Pheasant."

from:http://www.ysnp.gov.tw/en/aboutus/index.aspx
　　   http://www.spnp.gov.tw/v2/Article.aspx?a=SBHDYiKr0lc%3d&lang=1

Kinmen National Park

"Established in October of 1995, the national park is located on the islands of Greater Kinmen and Lesser Kinmen by the Chinese coast. The park aims to preserve important historical and cultural relics of the area, which was a long time battlefield and military staging area."

from:http://www.ysnp.gov.tw/en/aboutus/index.aspx

Class Photos

Jean, Jess, Vivian, Romecca, Jenny, George, and Max

We hope you enjoyed My Country: Taiwan!

Hard at work on My Country:Taiwan

Vivian & Jess

Kate & Jean

Jenny & Romecca

Flowers in Taiwan

The famous flowers of Taiwan   

                             ___-orchid

 

Do you like flowers? Do you know that Taiwan is famous for what flowers? I can show you more of them.

As the change of period, many things are asked for exquisite. So is our farming.

As a matter of fact we are constantly improving the plant, the most successful plant is the  “Orchid”. Today our Orchids are well known all over the world and it’s become a representative symbol of Taiwan!!

Following the picture, you can admire the Orchid:

 If you want to grow the Orchid well please follow these steps to take care of Orchid:

1. Water regularly the flowers every day.
2. Do not put them in the sun too long, that will kill the flowers. 
3. Orchids are half-sunshine plants.

4.  Trim branches and leaves regularly. 

It is not difficult to grow the flowers well. You and I can also grow the beautiful flowers, too.  

Special Species Of Animals in Taiwan

Taiwan lies on the Tropic of Cancer, which gives it a warm tropical-subtropical climate with abundant rainfall. Taiwan has rugged terrain,  featuring an abundance of animal and plant diversity.The island has over 4,200 known named species of vascular plants, over 5,740 species of fungi, and over 19,000 species of wild animals. The island's early geographic isolation led to its high level of endemism.

Scientific name:

Ursus thibetanus formosanus

English name:

Formosan black bear

Formosan black bears are endemic to Taiwan, and they were voted the most representative wildlife of Taiwan.

On their chest , there is a  yellowish or white "V" , and that is their feature. Earning another nickname — "moon bear".

Scientific name:

Urocissa caerulea

English name:

Taiwan Blue Magpie

They have the nickname " Queen of birds". They are very colorful, and they have vermilion feet and beak, yellow eyes like topaz, their head to the chest is black, body is dark blue, and a long tail that has symmetrical white markings.

Go shopping in Taiwan

  Have you ever been to Taiwan? What's special about Taiwan? I would like to introduce some features of shopping in Taiwan. Some metropolitan business circles contain history and fashion, like Taipei's Ximending and Kaohsiung's New Juejiang commercial area. Others include the weekend jade markets and the computer lane in Taipei's Guanghua Digital Plaze.

" Taipei  Guanghua Market (Guanghua Digital Plaza)

  Business at the market took a while to pick up due to the limited choice of items on sale. The market consolidated its reputation as the go-to
place in Taipei for computer equipment and other electronic gadgets, with over a hundred shops selling these high-tech items.  In addition to computers and other electronic peripherals, the new market sells branded sportswear and athletic gear, DVDs and CDs, posters, PC and console games, books, stereo equipment, mobile phones, and more. The market is known for its wide variety, low prices, and convenient comparison shopping, making it a magnet for budget-minded student shoppers.

Taipei  Ximending 

The name of Ximending came from the period of Japanese colonization. At that time a large portion of Taiwan's residents lived within Taipei City. Ximending was their center for recreation. In early years, the main business activity in Ximending was the cinema theater. At that time,  in addition to cinema, there were department stores and other entertainment attractions.  Ximending became the largest business and entertainment center in the country. Ximending became less popular for a while. People gather here for art, culture events, sports, and music performances on weekends and holidays. Along with the crowds, business opportunities are returning to Ximending. Ximending is not only a witness to the history of Taiwan, but also a leader of fashion for the new generation. Many middle aged people and senior citizens come here to reminisce about the old days, while young people come for the latest fashions. Two totally different lifestyles meet here, as Ximending fulfills the needs of different groups of people.

Taipei  Jianguo Holiday Flower Market

\
  On every weekends and holidays, the Jianguo Holiday Flower Market,  is always packed with people in a holiday mood, all looking to purchase some flowers to brighten their homes. Besides flowers and plants, the Jianguo Holiday Flower Market also sells floral apparatus and seeds. This is obviously a heaven for gardening lovers.

Kaohsiung  New Juejiang Commercial Area 

  Innovative management and independent shops find a home at Kaohsiung's New Juejiang shopping area.
New Juejiang has learned a lesson from its mistakes, and has replaced the traditional business style
 with a new management approach. Young people, new fashions, recreation, shopping, and dining all get together at New Juejiang, which is rapidly attracting new businesses to become Kaohsiung's biggest shopping destination. Cinemas, trendy clothes, jewelry, watches, cosmetics, and beauty salons mingle with cafes, American and Japanese fast-food restaurants, and all types of stalls to provide something for everyone. New Juejiang is the place to go in southern Taiwan for imported goods and chic attire, much of it arriving in step with its debuts in the fashion capitals of the world.

"

From:http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNO=0000207

Geography in Taiwan

Geography:

Where: Taiwan is a small island which is besides China. Taiwan is located in the middle latitude. You can see it in the pictures below. The weather in Taiwan is variegated. Taiwan is a small island but the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter) are obvious.

In Spring, the weather is warm and usually there is an afternoon thunder shower. In Summer, typhoons attack Taiwan and sometime cause serious disaster, like floods. In 2009, a big typhoon called Morakot

lashed Taiwan and it brought a major calamity of the most recent years. In Autumn,

the weather is cool so Autumn is the best season that I like. In Winter because of many high mountains in Taiwan, we will have change to see the snow.

The scenery in different seasons express the indispensable feature. They also increase the many colors.

Kaohusing Art Center

The Pier 2 Art Center  

 " It was once an abandoned and forgotten warehouse buried in history due to the move from an industrial based segment to the service sector. However, with a group of persistent artist who injected waves of creativity and inspiration into the area, the Pier-2 area was released and re-born making the region a place where tourist and locals can come together to enjoy fine art. With the collision of an old area and new fine art, Pier-2 becomes an area of new vitality and liveliness.   
  Located at the sides of the pier are the artistic warehouse clusters. Not only are there unlimited flows of cars, boats, sea breeze and people coming and going every day but also when looking at the vast ocean and sky, one is relaxed, stress-free with limitless thoughts. The encounter of the land and the ocean is so vast at Pier-2, it seems to symbolized the bright future ahead."

•From :http://pier2.khcc.gov.tw/e_content/about/about01.aspx

Kaohusing Film Archive

     " Kaohsiung Film Archive is located by the river side of Love River in a beautiful image building. It unfolds a new page to the cinematic history of Kaohsiung.

　   For a long time, there were no social education organizations to promote cinema activities. In addition, there were few software and hardware facilities relating to the cinema in southern Taiwan. All activities held by the film industry were centered in northern Taiwan. In order to facilitate cultural development, to promote the film industry and to bring the audience in southern Taiwan more diversified visions. Kaohsiung City Government has been facilitating the establishment of Kaohsiung Film Archive since 2000. After many turns, the old building of Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra was chosen as the final location for Kaohsiung Film Archive. Before serving as the rehearsal venue for Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra, it was the campus building of Yencheng Junior High School and public service station of KMT Party. The building has been idle since the Orchestra moved to the Kaohsiung Music Center.

 After confirming the location, Mayor HSIEH CHANG-TING and his team have been searching for financial support. Meanwhile, they also sought subsidy from the central government and obtain subsidies from the Ministry of the Interior, Education Bureau and Council for Cultural Affairs for the establishment of the Film Archive.

  Based on the concept of image design, Kaohsiung Film Archive looks like a large screen, projecting the busy city. The architect re-designed the building from strengthening the structure, transforming the unused dark space to the eye-catching Film Archive. It created new values for the old building and brushed up people’s memories. Kaohsiung Film Archive has become a cultural icon along the beautiful Love River." 

From :http://pier2.khcc.gov.tw/e_content/about/about01.aspx

Tomb Sweeping Day



      On Tomb Sweeping Day, we will go back to our hometown. Most of the family will go to clean their ancestors’ tomb, and worship with respect. Maybe it will be an  exhausting day, but it also shows our attitude of respect to our ancestors and the honor of family.

  

 

Folk religion of Taiwan



About

People  who  are  up  to  80

percents of  populations  believe 

folk  religion in Taiwan.

Our  religion  belongs  to  original  

religion  in  which  there  are many Gods.

It  mixtures  ethics  of  Confucian

culture,  reincarnation  about  cause

and  effect  of  Buddhism  and

ceremony  of  Daoism .  

        

Festival
 

We  held  the  famous  festival

which is about  raising statues of

Gods to parade in Changhua ,

Taiwan .There are about 100,000

people from around the world to

join this activity.

The festival takes people

eight days to parade.

People prove their devotion by

this activity. It is held at a special time decided by

the Gods.

There is a video about the festival below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26nBDHBhm-U

 

Effect

Because our folk religion

mixes different religions

we can contain a variety of

religion and accept culture from all over the world.

 In addition, it helps us

 preserve our local

language and tradition.